CPC's Blog About Health and Wellness

All Sizes Fit ONE

Tuesday, 2 / 19 / 19

The clothing industry has done an amazing job of categorizing our bodies into numbers and letters. When you walk into the store you usually know exactly where to head to ... S, M, L, XL, XXL, X Tall, Short, 00, 38, and so on. You are in search of a label just like everything else you see in a store. Yet, why is it okay to imprint that label into our minds? Your body, goals, and situations are forever changing. We are never at just one stage, one letter, one number in our life. One size does not fit all. It is okay to be a variety of numbers throughout your life and to rock the heck out of them. This concept piggybacks off of my last blog on photoshopping and how it affects (especially young girls) views.

...It is a daily reminder that you need to meet your body where it is today. The stages through life that aren’t always your best all happen for a reason.

I have worked with and been around a variety of different individuals over the years. I spent a few summers as a camp counselor, a few summers subbing as a Paraprofessional in the school system(preschool through middle school), to now working as a strength and conditioning coach. I see and hear the influence of parents, friends, other kids, and society has on certain individuals. As I’m sure the same language and behaviors can be seen in many of your jobs or environments. As a coach, overall wellness for others is our main goal. The roadblocks we face are the outside persuaders that convince you that you aren’t where society is telling you you should be.

This gets drilled into so many young minds and sometimes that voice telling them they aren’t good enough stays around for years. You begin to believe, so to speak, that you aren’t the “right” size. When really you could fit into a size 2 and a size 12 and somehow both are not good enough. Whether that be the latest diet trend, clothing style, jean size, friend group, workout craze, etc. it never seems to be the “approved” fit.

Consider looking back on the past year of your life. SO much has happened, changed, and is still in the works. For instance, the most recent example I can give is my dad having back surgery. He is the strongest, bravest man I know (bias yes I know, as any daughter would be) but these past few weeks after have been extremely rough on him, reasonably so. So when you hear people complaining about the extra weight they want to lose or jean size they want to fit into it gets put into perspective. He doesn’t care what his pant size is, he cares about taking that next step into recovery, being able to sleep again without waking up in pain. The things that truly make a difference in your day to day living. It is a daily reminder that you need to meet your body where it is today. The stages through life that aren’t always your best all happen for a reason.

Your body and mind can change in the drop of a dime; pregnancy, career changes, passions, failures, successes. Those are the things to remind yourself of when you are browsing down the aisles, not your size. Celebrate the YOU not the number.

So as I look into my own closet and see a range of sizes and numbers, I smile because I fit into all of them. I know that each brand is different, each day is different, and each year has changed drastically. I encourage you to keep spreading that concept, especially to the younger generations. Stop allowing the label to construct your mindset or mood. There isn’t a way to label your life, just be concerned with making it a good one. Your size doesn’t determine your beauty, your life does.